Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 68, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 13, 2002Anderson County, Pickens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 2002, 4:20 PM EDT for Anderson County, Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 40 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 2002, 4:20 PM EDT (20:20 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2002, 5:00 PM EDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Anderson County, SC, Pickens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:21 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 13, 4:24 PM EDTHail 0.75Clemson, SC
May 13, 4:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55 EPendleton, SCSeveral trees were blown down, some onto vehicles and homes.
May 13, 4:50 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55 EPiedmont, SCSeveral trees were blown down on the west side of town.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 13, 1:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 224 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2002-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 397 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 12:00Z on 2002-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
397 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
694 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
80 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS52 KGSP 132020
SVRGSP
SCC007-077-132100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
419 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA    
  SOUTHERN PICKENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT

* AT 419 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS 9 MILES WEST OF
  CLEMSON...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CLEMSON AT 425 PM EDT.
  PENDLETON AT 430 PM EDT.
  SANDY SPRINGS AT 435 PM EDT.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN CAN OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

$$

RWH/BPM

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 13, 3:43 PM EDT, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 3:43 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
343 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

GETTING VERY BUSY NOW WITH SEVERE WEATHER...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
SWAIN COUNTY...IN THE FAR WESTERN REACHES OF OUR AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY. ENTIRE CWFA IS BOXED...WITH NORTH CAROLINA PORTION
CONTINUING UNTIL 8 PM AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA/GEORGIA PORTION
TENTATIVELY PENCILED IN FOR A 6 PM EXPIRATION. THUNDERSTORMS ARE
MOVING INTO A FAVORED AREA FOR CONTINUED GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT...WITH IMPRESSIVE SPEED SHEAR PROFILE IN PLACE PER AREA
SOUNDINGS AND IN AN AREA OF UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AS 25H JET SWINGS
INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. FRONT MAKING STEADY PROGRESS EASTWARD...BUT
WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCE POPS EARLY...ESPECIALLY WITH SEVERE WATCHES
IN PLACE.

MOSITURE EXPECTED TO DWINDLE RAPIDLY WITH FROPA...BUT SOME RESIDUAL
WRAP AROUND LOOKS TO WORK ITS WAY INTO OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES LATE.
MAIN WEATHER FEATURE TONITE...AND FOR MOST OF TUESDAY...WILL BE
WIND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN. MOMENTUM TRANSFER OF PROGD
ETA SOUNDINGS SUPPORTS SOME WIND GUSTS TO 50 KT OR SO. AVN NOT
NEARLY AS AGGRESSIVE. WILL CONTINUE 20 TO 30 MPH WINDS ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS TONITE...DIMINISHING SOMEWHAT FROM THE SOUTHWEST
LATE...AND AT LEAST 15 TO 25 FOR HIGHER TERRAIN ON TUESDAY. WILL
HIGHLIGHT WIND GUSTS TO 45...JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. FOR
FOOTHILLS/PIEDMONT...10 TO 20 AND GUSTY SHOULD SUFFICE.

DRY WEATHER LOOKS TO CONTINUE...BUT NOGAPS/UKMET AND LONGER RANGE
MRF (BUT NOT THE OPERATIONAL...THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS) ALL SUPPORT A
FASTER FROPA FOR LATE WEEK...WITH CHANCE OF CONVECTION MOST OF
SATURDAY. WILL REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND MAKE MONDAY DRY. LITTLE
CHANGE TO LONGER RANGE TEMPERATURES.

FCSTID =
GSP   52  76  46  79 /  30   0   0   0
AND   52  78  48  80 /  30   0   0   0
CLT   52  76  45  78 /  30   0   0   0
HKY   51  73  42  74 /  30   0   0   0
AVL   49  67  41  74 /  30   0   0   0

.GSP...
GA...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.
SC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MOUNTAIN LAKES OVERNIGHT.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 13, 10:56 AM EDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
NCZ048-131800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1056 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHERN MADISON
COUNTY THIS MORNING...PRODUCING A LITTLE OVER AN INCH OF
RAIN DURING THE PAST HOUR.  MORE HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE COUNTY THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON.

MORE RAIN MAY PPRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING OVER MADISON COUNTY
CAUSE A MAJOR THREAT TO MOTORISTS IN THE MORE MOUNTAINOUS
AREAS.  IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP...PLEASE REMEMBER TO
AVOID WATER CROSSING A ROAD.

DICARLO
Local storm report, May 13, 3:26 PM EDT, 54 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
326 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

322 PM     BRYSON CITY TO CHEROKEE   NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   SWAIN                          DOZEN TREES DOWN ON
                                          HIGHWAY 19.

DICARLO

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 3:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee39 min
May 13, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville27 min
May 13, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg25 min
May 13, 5:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg24 min
May 13, 5:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCherokee34 min
May 13, 5:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPLaurens14 min
May 13, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYork22 min
May 13, 5:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenwood10 min
May 13, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYork27 min
May 13, 6:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPChester, York36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.